Nathaniel w



(No Model.)

v Ny W. BOYD. SPRING RAILROAD PROG.

No. 435,727. Patented Sept. 2, 1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SPRING RAILROAD-FROG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 435,727, dated September 2, 1890.

Application filed February 12, 1890.- Serial No. 340,125. (No model.) I

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NATHANIEL W. BOYD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Carlisle, in the county of Cumberland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Spring Railroad-Frogs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention relates to improvements in spring-rail frogs for railway-tracks; and the object of the invention is to prevent the wing or movable rail from creeping or moving laterally of the frog-point when said rail is struck by the flanges of the car-wheels, and to provide means for normally holding the movable or wing rail snugly against the point of the frog.

A further object of my invention is to simplify the parts and to arrange the wing operating or controlling devices within the body of the frog, so as to be out of the way of the Wheel-anges or a false flange on the carwheels.

With these ends in view my invention consists in the combinat-ion -of a frog-point, a stiff rail, a movable Wing-rail which is bent at an intermediate point of its length to lap against the frog-point, and a spring-bridle arranged in the plane of the Webs .of said rails and attached at one end to the movable wing-rail at the point where said wing-rail is bent or curved, whereby the spring-bridle holds the movable .Wing-rail in place when said rail is acted on by the iianges of wheels passing in either direction over the rails of the main line, and said rail is thus prevented from creeping or moving laterally of the frogpoint, thus obviating exposure of the frogpoint.

My invention further consists of a contrivance which assists the spring-bridle in keeping the movable wing-rail snugly against the frog-point, said contrivance comprising a bellcrank lever having one arm attached or connected to the movable wing-rail at one side of the bend thereof, acoiled spring, and a rod connected to the other arm of the bellcrank lever and to the coiled spring. This contrivance is located between two adjoining rails within the body of the frog and inthe plane of the webs of the rails, so as to bc out of the path of the flanges of the wheels.

My invention further consists in the peculiar construction and combinations of devices as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed. v

To enable others to understand my invention, I will now proceed to a detailed description thereot` in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a plan view of a spring-frog for railway-tracks constructed in accordance with my invent-ion. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view through the webs of the stiff or fixed rail and the movable wing-rail and the spring-bridle intermediate of said rails. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view, partly in section and partly in plan, of the contrivance for holding` the wing-rail. Fig. 4: is an end view of the device shown in Fig. 3, with the stii and wing rail in cross-section.

Like numerals of reference denote corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In Fig. 1 I have shown an ordinary railway-frog, to which my improvements are applied; and this frog consists of the frog-point l, formed by the angularly-disposed rails 2 3, the stift or fixed rail 4, having its end 5 bent substantially parallel with the frog-point l for a short distance on one side of the same, and G the movable or wing rail, which is bent at 7 so as to have its inclined end lie parallel and in close contact with the opposite side of the frog-point l. No novelty is herein claimed for the parts just mentioned, as they are common to the ordinary springfrogs of railway-tracks.

The prime objection to the use of ordinary spring-frogs is the tendency or liability of the movable wing-rail 6 to creep or move laterally away from the frog-point 1 when the flanges of the passing wheels impinge or strike against said rail, thus exposing vthe point of the frog and causing the wheels to leave the track and wreck the train.

It isl the aim of my present invention to prevent the movable wing-rail from creeping or moving laterally of the frog-point, and to accomplish this object I have provided contrivances which normally hold the roo end of the Wing-rail in close lateral contact with the frog-point.

10 designates a spring-bridle, which is attached to' the bent or angular Vend 7 of the movable Wing-rail, and the other end of said spring-bridle is attached to a fixed object, preferably the stiff or fixed rail 4 of the frog. This spring-bridle is preferably in the form of a fiat leaf-spring, and itis arranged in the horizontal plane of the Webs of the stiff and movable rails, the ends of the spring-bridle being attached by bolts to the Webs of said rails. A draw-bolt l1 is attached to the spring-bridle at an intermediate point of the length thereof, one end of said draw-bolt being attached to the web of the stiff rail and the other headed or nutted end of said bolt fitting in an aperture or slot in the springbridle.

By the use of the spring-bridle and by locati-ng the same so that it attaches to the movable wing-rail at the bent or angularly- Adisposed end of the'railsaid Wing-rail is normally held in close lateral contact with the frog-point and is eifectually prevented from creeping or moving laterally, which displacement of the Wing-rail exposes the frog-point.

The spring -bridle is `or may be supplemented by the bell-crank' lever and coiled spring, (shown more clearly in Figs. 1 and 2,) in which the force or tension of the spring is exerted on the body of the movable Wing-rail on the opposite side of the bend or angular part 7 thereof, to which the tension or force" of the spring-bridle is directly applied.

15 designates a clamp-plate, which passes beneath the stiff and wing rails and is bolted or spiked in place. This clamp-plate is split or divided longitudinally for a suitable distance-say one-half or other fractional part of its length-to provide the two arms 16 17. The arm 17 of the clamp-plate is extended or projected beneaththe movable wing-rail, furnishes a bearing therefor, and receives a spike 18 at its outer extremity, which operates as a stop to limit the outward play or movement of the Wing-rail, While the arm 16 is bent or curved upward at a point between the two rails 4 6 and turned down upon itself (see Figs. 3 and 4) to provide an elevated seat 19 for the bell-crank lever 20. This bellcrank lever is fitted on the seat formed by the arm 16 of the clamp-plate and fulcrumed thereto by a vertical bolt 21; and one arm of said lever is connected bya link or bolt 22 to the web of the movable wing-rail, which bolt or link passes through or is secured to the movable rail at a point a short distance at one side of the bend thereof. The other arm of the bell-crank lever hasl a spring-rod 24 pivoted to the same, and this-rod operates in a Shell or housing 25, fixed laterally to the web of the sti rail 4, said rod being controlled by a coiledY spring 26, (see Fig. 1,) the tension of said coiled spring being exerted on the bell-crank lever so as to draw the movable wing-rail toward the frog-rails and to keep the end or arm 7 of said wing-rail in close lateral contact with the frog-point. The spring and bell-crank lever are located in the horizontal plane of the Webs of the rails, and they are thus arranged out of the path of the Wheel-flanges and are not liable to be in jured-by said iian ges or by a false flange on the car-Wheels.

I do notrestrict myself to the joint use of the spring-bridle and the spring-controlled bell-crank lever on the movable Wing-rail, as it is evident that the spring-bridle can be used without the bell-crank lever, as shown in Fig. 2, and that the coiled spring and bellcrank lever can be used separately from the spring-bridle, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4; but I prefer to use said parts jointly and locate the same as herein described, and shown more particularly in Fig. 1, as I have found that said parts serve efficiently in preventing creeping or displacement of the Wing-rail.

The operation and advantages of my invention will be readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings.

Changes in the form and proportion of partsV and details of construction of the mechanisms herein shown and described as em- 1 the right to make such modifications as fairly fall Within the scope of my invention.

I do not strictly confine myself to the location of the spring-bridle and the spring-c011- trolled lever Within the body of the frog, as I am aware that said bridle and lever can be located at the outer end of the inclined or bent end of the movable wing-rail. I would therefore have it understood that I reserve the right to locate -said parts at the outer end of the movable wing-rail, between the latter and one of the rails of theI frog, although I prefer to arrange the bridle and lever as herein shown, for reasons Which have heretoforefbeen explained.

Having thus fully'described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a railway-frog substantially as described, the combination of a frog-point, a stiff rail, a movable wing-rail which is bent at an intermediate point of its length to lap against the frog-point, and a spring-bridle arranged in the plane of the Webs of said rails and attached at one end to the movablewing-rail at the point Where said wingrail is bent or curved, as and for the purpose described.

2. In a railway-frog, the combination, with a movable wing-rail and a stiff rail, of a leaf- IIO spring bridle attached to the Webs of said rails,

and a draw-bolt connected to the bridle at a point intermediate of the length thereof and to the sti rail, whereby said bolt can be adj usted to vary the tension of the spring-bridle, as and for the purpose described.

3. In a railway-frog,the combination, with a movable wing-rail, of a spring-bridle connected to said rail, and a spring-controlled lever also connected to the wing-rail, as herein set forth.

4. In a railway-frog, the combination, with a movable wing-rail having the angular arm adapted to contact with the frog-point, of a spring-bridle connected to the wing-rail at the bend thereof, a lever attached to the wingrail at a short distance from the bend, and a spring connected to the lever, as and for the purpose described.

5. In a railway-frog, the conibinatiomwith a movable Wing-rail having the angular bend or arm adapted to contact laterally with a frog-point, of a spring-bridle attached directly to the wing-rail at the bend thereof, a bellcrank lever attached to the wing-rail at a point from the bend of the same, andacoiled spring connected to the bell-crank lever, as and for the purpose described.

6. In a railway-frog, the combinatioi'nwith a wing-rail, of a bell-crank lever having one arm connected to said rail, a coiled spring,

and a spring-rod pivoted to the other arln of the lever, as and for the purpose described.

7. Ina railway-frog, the combination, with 3o a movable wing-rail and a stiff rail, of a bellcrank lever located in the plane of the webs of said rails and situated between the saine, one arm of said lever being connected to the wing-rail, a housing secured laterally to the 35 web of the stiff rail below the head thereof and containing a coiled spring, and a springrod extending from the spring to the other arm of the bell-crank lever, as and for the purpose described.

S. In a railway-frog, the combination,with a movable wing-rail and astiff rail, of axed clamp-plate having a seat situated between said rails, a bell-crank lever fulcrumed on said seat and attached at one end to thewiug 45 rail, and a coiled spring carried by the stiff rail and connected to the other end of the lever, as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have aixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

N. IV. BOYD.

Witnesses:

H. J. BERNHARD, WILLIAM O. BELT. 

